# Yale (provincial electoral district)

Yale was a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada from the province's joining Confederation in 1871. It was a 3-member constituency and retained the name Yale until the 1894 election, at which time it was split into three ridings, Yale-East, Yale-North and Yale-West; other ridings in the southeast of the province had previously been split off, e.g., Fernie, Ymir, Grand Forks, which later emerged or were rearranged into the various Kootenay and Okanagan ridings. In 1903 the name Yale (by itself) was revived, this time as a one-member riding only, the new riding largely based upon Yale-West. Its last appearance on the hustings was 1963. In 1966, it was amalgamated into the new riding of Yale-Lillooet, which was extant until 2009, when most of its core area was made part of the new Fraser-Nicola riding.

## Geography

The original Yale riding encompassed the whole of today's Kootenay, Okanagan, Similkameen, Thompson and Nicola regions, plus its original core in the Fraser Canyon, south from and including Lytton. The riding's name is from the town of Yale, British Columbia, then still an important centre in the new province and in fact one of the very few actual towns in the riding at the time.

## Notable MLAs

* Charles Augustus Semlin (12th Premier 1915-1928, first elected 1871)
* John Andrew Mara
* Forbes George Vernon (namesake of the city of Vernon)
* Richard McBride (1909, incumbent/16th Premier 1903-1915)
* John Duncan MacLean (20th Premier, 1920–1921)
* William Leonard Hartley

## Notable candidates

* Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, native claims commissioner

## Election results

Note: Winners of each election are in bold.
1st 1871 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Independent | George Coxon $^1$ | 29 | 16.96% | unknown |
| | Independent | William H. Kay | 8 | 4.68% | unknown |
| | Independent | Moses Lumby | 17 | 9.94% | unknown |
| | Independent | James Robinson | 35 | 20.47% | unknown |
| | Independent | Charles Augustus Semlin | 29 | 16.96% | unknown |
| | Independent | Robert Smith | 53 | 30.99% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 171 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
| $^1$ The Returning Officer cast the deciding vote for Semlin, who had the same number of votes. |||||||
vte1875 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected |
| | Reform caucus | John Andrew Mara | 130 | 20.57 | Y |
| | Reform caucus | Forbes George Vernon | 125 | 19.78 | Y |
| | Independent Government | Robert Smith | 117 | 18.57 | Y |
| | Reform | John F. Allison | 100 | 15.82 |
| | Independent Government | Charles Augustus Semlin | 94 | 14.87 |
| | Independent Government | James Robinson | 59 | 9.34 |
| | Independent | James Ross | 7 | 1.1 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 632 | 100.00 |
3rd 1878 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | Preston Bennett | 158 | 20.05% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Dixon Joseph Lauder | 87 | 11.04% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | William McCormack | 93 | 11.80% | – | unknown |
| | Government | John Andrew Mara | 172 | 21.83% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Charles Augustus Semlin | 120 | 15.23% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Forbes George Vernon | 158 | 20.05% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 788 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
4th 1882 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | Preston Bennett | 194 | 19.56% | – | unknown |
| | Independent | Henry Dodson Green-Armytage | 98 | 9.88% |
| | Government | William McGirr | 60 | 6.05% | – | unknown |
| | Government | John Andrew Mara | 240 | 24.19% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Edward Peason | 78 | 7.86% | – | unknown |
| | Independent | Charles Augustus Semlin | 254 | 25.60% | | unknown |
| | Independent | Gilbert Malcolm Sproat | 68 | 6.86% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 992 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
British Columbia By-election: Yale November 15, 1882 $^2$ :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | Thomas Basil Humphreys | 157 | 39.15% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | George Bohun Martin | 244 | 60.05% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 401 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
| $^2$ Death of Preston Bennett August 9, 1882. |||||||
5th 1886 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | Archibald Irwin | 196 | 14.91% | – | unknown |
| | Government | George Bohun Martin | 283 | 21.54% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Henry Nicholson | 93 | 7.08% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Thomas Roadley | 88 | 6.77% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Charles Augustus Semlin | 364 | 27.70% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Forbes George Vernon | 290 | 22.07% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,314 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
6th 1890 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Opposition | Irwin Archibald | 256 | 13.17% | – | unknown |
| | Government | George Bohun Martin | 445 | 22.89% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Charles Augustus Semlin | 396 | 20.37% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Forbes George Vernon | 496 | 25.51% | – | unknown |
| | Government | James Wardle | 351 | 18.06% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,944 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
7th 1894 British Columbia general election
split to three ridings:
* Yale-East
* Yale-West
* Yale-North
8th 1898 British Columbia general election
* Yale-East
* Yale-West
* Yale-North
9th 1900 British Columbia general election
* Yale-East
* Yale-West
* Yale-North
10th 1903 British Columbia general election $^4$ :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Stuart Alexander Henderson | 309 | 60.59% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Thomas Gray McManamon | 201 | 39.41% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 510 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
| $^4$Restored seat reduced to one member only; successor to Yale-West ||||||
11th 1907 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Stuart Alexander Henderson | 289 | 58.27% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Charles Augustus Semlin | 207 | 41.73% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 496 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
12th 1909 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Stuart Alexander Henderson | 265 | 36.81% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Richard McBride | 455 | 63.19% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 720 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
13th 1912 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Alexander Lucas | 524 | 65.26% | unknown |
| | Liberal | John P. McConnell | 279 | 34.74% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 281 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 71.98% | |
14th 1916 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Alexander Lucas | 609 | 42.95% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Joseph Walters | 809 | 57.05% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,418 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
15th 1920 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | James Robert Cameron | 737 | 31.95% | unknown |
| | Conservative | John McRae | 913 | 39.58% | unknown |
| | Independent Liberal | Joseph Walters | 657 | 28.48% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,307 | 100.00% |
vte1924 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | John Duncan MacLean | 1,148 | 46.09 |
| | Conservative | John McRae | 765 | 30.71 |
| | Provincial | James Sugrue Fagan | 578 | 23.20 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,491 | 100.00 |
17th 1928 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 1,514 | 57.22% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Romald Helmerow Helmer | 1,132 | 42.78% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,646 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 27 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
18th 1933 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 1,193 | 68.64% | | unknown |
| | Non-Partisan Independent Group | Romald Helmerow Helmer | 312 | 17.95% | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | John Wise Langley | 233 | 13.41% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,738 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 23 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
19th 1937 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 968 | 59.94% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | John Wise Langley | 422 | 26.13% | unknown |
| | Conservative | John Wilson North | 225 | 13.93% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,615 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 40 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
20th 1941 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Alexander Rennie Ross Craig | 616 | 34.92% | unknown |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 1,148 | 65.08% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,764 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 55 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
21st 1945 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 1077 | 34.92% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Angus Hugh MacIsaac | 536 | 33.23% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,613 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 63 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
22nd 1949 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Coalition | John Joseph Alban Gillis | 1,407 | 46.90% | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Angus Hugh MacIsaac | 865 | 28.83% | | unknown |
| | Independent | William John Trout | 728 | 24.27% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,000 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 42 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
23rd British Columbia election, 1952$^2$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bernard (Ben) Cherry | 338 | 10.74% | - | -% | unknown |
| | Social Credit League | Irvine Finlay Corbett | 1,024 | 32.53% | 1,390 | 51.46% |
| | Liberal | John Joseph Allan Gillis | 1,067 | 33.89% | 1,311 | 48.54% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Angus Hugh MacIsaac | 659 | 20.93% | - | -% | unknown |
| | Independent | George Murray | 60 | 1.91% | - | -% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,148 | % | 2,701 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 98 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
| $^2$ Preferential ballot - final count is between top two candidates from earlier counts; intermediary counts (of 4) not shown. |||||||
24th British Columbia election, 1953 $^3$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Social Credit | Irvine Finlay Corbett | 1,177 | 39.86% | 1,354 | 54.36% |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Evan Donald MacDougall | 835 | 28.28% | - | - % | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,953 | 100.00% | 2,491 | % | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 278 | | | | |
| Total Registered Voters | Total Registered Voters | 5,933 (1952 list) | | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | 70.15% | | | | |
| $^3$ Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; intermediary counts (of 3) not shown |||||||
25th 1956 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Social Credit | Irvine Finlay Corbett | 1,315 | 47.34 | – | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Joe Madden | 599 | 21.56% | | unknown |
| | Liberal | Olga McLean | 703 | 25.31% | | unknown |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Moyes | 161 | 5.80% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,778 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 61 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
26th 1960 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Allan Collett | 964 | 27.30% | | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Irvine Finlay Corbett | 1,103 | 31.24% | – | unknown |
| | Conservative | William Joseph Lauder | 390 | 11.05% | | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Evan Donald MacDougall | 1,074 | 30.42% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,531 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 107 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
27th 1963 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Allan Collett | 599 | 13.10% | | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Irvine Finlay Corbett | 1,691 | 36.99% | – | unknown |
| | Conservative | John Willison Green | 584 | 12.78% | | unknown |
| | New Democrat | William Leonard Hartley | 1,697 | 37.43% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,571 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 58 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
Before the 28th general election in 1966, parts of the former riding of Yale became incorporated into the new riding of Yale-Lillooet, which survives to the present.